


Grounding

by cecilantro



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-07
Updated: 2018-05-07
Packaged: 2019-05-03 16:40:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14573169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cecilantro/pseuds/cecilantro
Summary: Molly acting as the ground wire for Caleb's sensory problems ends up in quite the translation predicament.





	Grounding

**Author's Note:**

> EDIT:  
> SO NOBODY WAS GONNA TELL ME ABOUT THE TAGGING SYSTEM HUH  
> yall were just gonna let me get anons on tumblr and comments about how im tagging wrong and not explain WHAT im doing wrong?????????????   
> BIG BIG THANKS TO [CRYKEA](http://crykea.tumblr.com) ON TUMBLR FOR _ACTUALLY TELLING ME WHAT IM DOING WRONG_
> 
> Now i can fix my self esteem yall have no idea how close i came to giving up im fucking delicate

Caleb is easily overwhelmed at the best of times, the quietest times, Molly has had to escort him out of the group at the tavern a couple of times- oddly the most comforting despite being a sensory overload in himself. The jingles and flashy colours that Molly gives can go either way for Caleb, they can make him better or worse, depending on whether the overload comes from actual processing issues, or other emotional problems, since the latter’s quick fix is alone time with Mollymauk. Not that it’s something Caleb would admit to, of course.   
The festival builds up on him very quickly.   
There’s so many colours and voices and oppressive atmosphere, Caleb’s glad to slip away from the others as they pause in a crowd, when he moves through them they feel less like people and more like water. Heavy, but moving past, rather than burying him.   
“Caleb!” Molly’s voice calls, excited, and Caleb fights the smile as he turns. Molly is like an excited puppy amongst such clamour and colour, he bounds up to Caleb with an overjoyed grin, “Caleb!”   
A pause for breath as he screeches to a halt in front of him, stopped mostly by Caleb planting a hand on his shoulder to stop him skidding.   
When it turns out that all Molly wants is for Caleb to run Detect Magic on the festival stalls, he visibly deflates, but if Molly notices, he doesn’t say anything. The grin stays in place, the only sign that he’s noticed the change is the gently press of fingertips to the back of Caleb’s hands.   
Molly disappears to play distraction and comes back draped in a tapestry depicting the symbol of the platinum dragon, just as Caleb manages to finish the inconspicuous gestures for the spell and a ripple of magic spreads out from him. As far as he can tell, the only magical items in the vicinity are personal, including Molly’s periapt, which swings as he draws near.    
“Anything?”   
“Nothing here.” Caleb affirms as Molly comes to his side, “But I can only see for about thirty feet, per- perhaps we should take a walk?”   
Molly looks him up and down.   
“Just a second.”   
He puts his fingertips to Caleb’s arm and draws him into an unoccupied alley, pays careful attention to the way Caleb relaxes visibly in the smaller, blank space, away from the noise and bustle.   
“You aren’t holding up so well, are you?” Molly asks, as he begins to unloop chains and tinkling bits and put them in a pocket. Caleb considers lying, but if Molly has picked up on this, there’s no doubt in his mind that he’ll see right through the bullshit.   
“The festival is enjoyable and exciting, but not quite up my alley.” He smiles for the inadvertent joke, “It’s getting a little loud, that’s all. I will be fine.”   
Molly’s hand hovers an inch above Caleb’s shoulder, he’s shrugging his coat off with the other arm.   
“Physical contact?” He asks, and Caleb looks at his hand as he considers.   
“Try it out. I could not tell you from thought alone.”   
Molly’s hand comes down lightly on Caleb’s shoulder, and the wizard leans into it immediately. Molly chuckles,   
“Alright, just a moment.” And pulls back to pull the coat off completely, he folds it up and tucks it through his belt to stay in place before opening his arms to Caleb.   
Caleb falls in easily, a routine and practiced motion, Molly’s embrace generally serves well as quick grounding. The weight and pressure and warmth around him helps to block out the touch, he buries his face in the crook of Molly’s neck and there goes his sight, sense of smell, most of his hearing, too.   
They stay put for a few minutes, Caleb lets Molly seep away his tensions, and finally draws back.   
“We have, about forty-five minutes left of the spell, if you still wish to look around.” He says, eyes to Molly’s throat rather than his face, but he sees the gentle smile from the corner of his sight, Molly’s hands brush gently up and down against his shoulders.   
“Only if you feel up to it. I’m happy to sit here for a while.”   
“No, no, I’m feeling better now.” Caleb smiles, still weak, but genuine, and Molly offers him his arm.   
“If the others come along, we hate one another,  _ ja? _ ” Caleb meets his eyes, hovering his hand in a curl just away from Molly’s arm. Molly leans over and kisses his temple.   
“ _ Ja _ .” He tells Caleb, and receives a chuckle in response.

 

They wander slowly around the market, turning corners quickly when they spot one of the others.   
“We’ll have to re-join them eventually.” Caleb says softly as they whirl away from Beau for the third time, and Molly squeezes his arm around Caleb’s hand.   
“Not until you’re ready, love.”   
Caleb sighs and rests his cheek against Molly’s upper arm, the sensation of soft cotton against stubble an interesting one, it’s uncomfortable but the interest outweighs that, the pull and the weight, it’s not so much a physical feeling as a mathematical equation in Caleb’s head. Numbers burst with each little movement, it’s distracting and fascinating all at once.    
“Don’t zone out on me, Caleb, darling.” Molly says softly, they twist around another corner but if Jester’s gasp is anything to go by it’s just a fraction too late.   
“I think Jester may have seen us.” Molly says, quick and low to Caleb, “You may want to sit up.”   
Caleb sighs heavily.   
“No, if you do not mind, I think we can keep Jester quiet.”   
“About what?” Molly’s voice has a hint of a laugh as they pause as though looking at a nearby stall, “That I care for you? I think she’s aware.”   
“Or that I care about you.” Molly hears the smile in Caleb’s tone, and he smiles too, when Caleb cuddles closer.   
“Is that  _ all _ though?” Jester’s voice has the trill of teasing disbelief, she’s right behind them, how the  _ fuck _ did she get there?    
“What do you mean,  _ is that all _ ?” Molly doesn’t flinch the way Caleb does, and Molly quickly shifts his arm from under Caleb’s head to around his shoulders, so that Caleb can ready his head on Molly’s instead. The arm around Caleb’s shoulders is like a cloak of protection, blocking out the sensations and fending off Jesters inquisitive nature. Her arms are folded, they turn to face her.   
“Do you just  _ care _ ? Or are you ignoring your problems again and pretending they don’t exist? That’s not a good way to deal with life, Molly!” Her voice and tone are airy and sing-song, it would be easy to miss the scathing remark in the middle if he didn’t know her well enough to look for it. Molly frowns, Caleb’s arms find their way around his waist.   
“What are you implying, Jester?”   
She shrugs brightly, any trace of a crease in her brow disappears and is replaced with a sunshine grin,   
“Nothing! Anyway, you two make a  _ really _ cute couple, Yasha’ll be  _ so _ pleased to find out you finally got-”   
“Ah-ah-ah-ah!” Molly cuts her off, panicked, and switches to quick Infernal, low in the middle of the crowd, “ _ I haven’t told him yet _ .”   
“ _ Yet _ .” Jester replies, bouncing her eyebrows. She doesn’t miss the way Caleb drops one arm and begins to gesture, she hums to draw out the time and give him a chance to toss the soot and salt from his pocket.   
“ **_Yet_ ** **.** ” Molly emphasises, “ _ I will, just not now. Just give me time. _ ”   
“ _ You have to tell him that you like him sometime, Molly! How do you know he doesn’t already know? _ ”   
Heads are beginning to turn in their direction and Molly is not unaware of this, he leans closer to her to drop his final line.   
“ _ I will tell Caleb that I  _ **_love him_ ** _ in my own time _ .” He emphasises the  _ love him _ , feels Jester’s been playing down the feelings he’s described to her, they’re so strong that they knock him on his ass on a regular basis after all, “ _ Common. Now _ .”   
“Fine, be like that.” Jester switches back, and throws her hands up, but her bright grin tells Molly that something is wrong. The arm around his waist has gone oddly still, he can feel Caleb’s pulse beat hard through his wrist.   
He watches her skip away with “I’ll say nothing!” sung behind her, and then drags Caleb in the opposite direction to the nearest sheltered alleyway.

 

They end up in a thin, shadowed alley between two houses, it feels a world apart from the festival outside, and Molly settles the still-silent Caleb against a wall before he extricates himself and presses to the opposite side.   
“I’m sorry, darling, that wasn’t right of me.”   
“Mollymauk, do you forget the spells that I know?” Caleb speaks finally, a deep breath behind the slow raise to meet Molly’s eyes.   
“I’m sure there’s some you haven’t told me.” Molly leans back into the wall, doesn’t catch on.   
“There are others that you have  _ seen _ me use on at least two occasions, and yet you forget about.”   
Molly blinks at him, confused.   
“What languages do you know, Mollymauk?” Caleb takes the roundabout approach.   
“Common, and Infernal. What do you mean?” He tilts his head, and Molly, dear Molly, he’s so  _ smart _ in some ways but so dense in others, just as Caleb is.   
“Try both.”   
“What?”   
“Try  _ both _ .” Caleb emphasises, and Molly sighs.   
“What do you want me to say?”   
Caleb shrugs,   
“Anything- anything will do.”   
“We should, ah… we should find a stall that sells wine, that ale that Yasha bought is still repeating on me.” Molly tries, and Caleb nods approvingly. Molly takes a breath and thinks for his next sentence. He switches to Infernal,   
“ _ I sometimes wonder with all the whiskey you drink, whether that’s what you’d taste like if I kissed you. _ ” It feels… good, to vocalise the stray thought that’s been rattling around in the back of his head for days, now, even if Caleb can’t understand it. He sees Caleb’s eyes widen a little and remembers the spell he’d forgotten he knew.   
_ Fucking Comprehend Language _ .   
Caleb breathes in, deeply, and steps in toward him on shaking legs.   
“Why- why don’t you try?”   
That’s all the invite Molly needs. Caleb goes bumping straight back into the wall, cushioned by Molly’s hand at the back of his head, Molly kisses him  _ hard _ and sudden, shocks even himself with his valiance and vigor.   
And Caleb shocks them both with his equal reciprocation, only an inch or so shorter than Molly but he wraps his fingers in the loose, open collar of Molly’s shirt and tugs hard anyway. There’s the lap of tongue over a nick in Caleb’s lip from where Molly’s fang had pressed a touch too hard.    
Molly pulls in a breath as he draws back.   
“You love me.” Caleb is halfway between teasing and disbelief, Molly smiles, a little lopsided.   
“You heard that?”   
“I think that Jester delayed the conversation purely for me to listen in. She is far smarter than we give her credit for.” Caleb smiles and tugs Molly’s collar until the tiefling kisses him again, warmer and more gentle this time, with fingertips at Caleb’s cheek instead.   
“We’re not going to tell her, though, are we?” Molly says, mischief in every syllable when he pulls away again.   
“Oh, not so soon, no. It is far more fun to watch her vibrate with excitement and try to tease me when she knows I am uninterested in her fake advances.”   
They both break for a quick chuckle, and Caleb drops one hand to lace his fingers with Molly’s.   
“I love you, too, Molly.” He says, softer now, and Molly kisses his forehead.   
“I didn’t tell  _ you  _ that yet.” Molly protests, and Caleb gives a breath of laughter.   
“Well?”   
Molly pauses and presses his fingers to the underside of Caleb’s jaw, tilts his head up and kisses him again.   
“Caleb Widogast,” The formality is striking, “I love you.”   
Caleb presses up to kiss him, too, and mimics his tone.   
“I love you too, Mollymauk Tealeaf.”


End file.
